Interview: Pamela Hearon, 'The Summer Place'

Interview: Pamela Hearon, 'The Summer Place'

Award-winning author Pamela Hearon is not only here to celebrate the release of her second Harlequin Superromance, The Summer Place … but she has also been named a 2013 RITA finalist in the long contemporary series category for her first Superromance, Out of the Depths. And I’m not surprised. Pamela creates vivid settings, endearing characters and all-around memorable stories that capture the charm of small-town America … and the hearts of readers.

Rula: Congrats on your RITA final, Pamela! In The Summer Place, your hero, ex-Marine Rick Warren, and heroine, fairy princess party planner Summer Delaney, are up against each other as camp counselors with opposing views on how to control a group of kids: discipline and structure vs. imagination and fun. You have experience as an eighth-grade English teacher … a class and subject that requires a bit of both Rick’s and Summer’s methods (and one that earns you heroine status ;). Granted, balance is key, but when it comes to teaching, parenting and even writing, which would you say wins out … your inner Marine or your inner fairy princess?

Pamela: I taught school for too long not to have an inner Marine who was a stickler for rules and manners — they were a necessity for safety and for keeping my sanity when I had 30 individuals demanding my attention. But, of the two, my inner fairy princess is the most powerful force. Life is meant to be enjoyed, and I want to find the fun in every possible opportunity. Who doesn’t want to play? Make them laugh, remove the pressure, allow the fun to come through, and people will listen to my message whether they’re my own kids, my students, or the adults reading my books.

Rula: Your story sends a powerful message about not judging people on appearances, and your Marine/party planner relationship develops that theme beautifully. When it comes to instilling confidence in girls, we have a constant battle against images and messages in all forms of media. We need more role models like Summer Delaney! What negative impact on girls/women (eating disorders, confidence, etc.) have you personally witnessed in school-age groups?

Pamela: I was an alcohol/drug abuse counselor as well as a school counselor for 10 years, so I’ve truly seen it all. How sad it is to talk with a 13-year-old girl who makes herself throw up to keep her weight down or cuts her arms with a razor blade because she’s so disgusted with what she perceives as her inferior body. She hasn’t (and, sadly, may never) come to understand that the perfect body images she’s constantly bombarded with from the media are the results of modern-day magicians. We all, like Summer, know in our hearts that inner beauty is what’s important, but our brains tell us something different based on what’s celebrated in our society. Imagine the change in our world if we could instill a firm belief in our children of individual worth and that how you treat your fellow man rather than how you look determines true beauty.

Rula: Well said and so true. On the topic of counseling, Rick Warren suffers from PTSD, but like so many of our heroes, he doesn’t seek the help he needs. One therapy he’s asked to consider is EMDR: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. In your research, what stood out to you about EMDR and what fact about PTSD shocked you the most?

Pamela: There were actually two facts about PTSD that shocked me. One was the staggering number of American troops who suffer from the disorder, which is estimated to be one out of every five returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a study done by Walter Reed Army Medical Center (cited on the Warrior Outreach website). http://www.warrioroutreach.org/ However, that number is difficult to determine because (here is No. 2) it’s believed that over half of those suffering never seek treatment.

What stood out to me about EMDR was how few treatments may be required to accomplish long-lasting results. I became interested in EMDR when a person mentioned it on one of the forums I frequent. I’d never heard of it before that. She told how she suffered for over 40 years with nightmares from a childhood trauma and how, after only a few sessions of EMDR treatment, she’d been nightmare-free for several years. I was looking for something fresh that I’d never seen used in a novel, and EMDR seemed like the type of treatment Nolan Warren (Rick’s dad) would research and suggest to his son. It’s also my small way of letting those who read my book know they, or their loved ones, aren’t alone in what they’re going through. Help is available for those who suffer from PTSD. If one therapy doesn’t work, try another. But don’t be afraid to get help.

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Rula: Like The Summer Place, your debut Harlequin Superromance, Out of the Depths, also revolved around nature, life, danger and survival. How has growing up in Kentucky influenced your stories? Kids and danger go hand in hand, so can you share a childhood memory/adventure where you came up against nature? Who got the last laugh? 😉

Pamela: I love this question! Growing up in Kentucky gave me those two stories. I found myself constantly reaching into memories of camping and boating on Kentucky Lake to shape the events of both plots. I love using real landmarks to anchor my story so that the setting becomes like a character. I want people to hear the unique beauty of the western Kentucky speech patterns in my writing voice and laugh aloud at the picturesque sayings Southerners use in their descriptions. Does it work? Well, even a blind hog roots up an acorn sometimes. : )

The scariest adventure I ever had happened one afternoon when my boyfriend and I were in his ski boat on Kentucky Lake. We’d crossed the lake to the old rock quarry, a favorite party cove with high cliffs and deep water. A narrow entrance keeps the quarry protected from the main lake. After several hours of bright sunshine, it started to cloud up, and we decided to head for home. We left the high, protective walls of the quarry and discovered one of the biggest, blackest clouds I’d ever seen headed our way from across the lake. We considered beaching the boat and waiting it out, but the shoreline was like a jungle and surely snake-infested. So we decided, if we hurried, we could make it across the lake before the storm hit. But, about a fourth of the way across, the wind started whipping the waves into a white-capping frenzy. The waves lifted the boat up and then sent it crashing down. The steering wheel had a wooden cabinet beneath it, and my boyfriend had his foot braced against it as he fought to control the boat. We came crashing down so hard one time, his foot smashed through the wood! Somehow we made it across without capsizing, so I guess you could say we “won.” But Mother Nature got the last laugh because I still refuse to go out on the lake if there’s even a hint of a storm. She made a believer out of me!

Rula: I can’t blame you.

Anyone who can matchmake a Marine and a fairy princess knows romance! You met the love of your life on a blind date. What matchmaking was involved and when did you know he was The One?

Pamela: I was practicing on the putting green at the local golf course, and this cute guy was there practicing, also. His chiseled features reminded me of a hawk, and I kept thinking how handsome he would be if he smiled. But he never did — he was completely focused on his game.

My friend Tana arrived, and we played our round of golf. Her neighbor happened to play in the foursome behind us. He called Tana that night and asked who she’d been playing with and would she introduce us? So she arranged a golf outing for the next week with her, her boyfriend, her neighbor, and me making up a foursome. Imagine my delight when her neighbor turned out to be the sexy guy from the putting green! He smiled often that afternoon and made me laugh with his quick, dry wit. By the end of the round, I knew he was special.

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A couple of weeks later, I invited him to my home for dinner and to meet my 4-year-old daughter. She took to him immediately. While I finished preparing dinner, they went outside where he pushed her in the swing. I could see them through the kitchen window, and I noticed his easy manner with her. He was practiced, with two children of his own — just a natural dad. As I watched them playing, I could picture us together forever. I knew he was the one. Two years later, we married, blending our two small families into a family of five. Now, after 27 years, our family continues to expand with in-laws and grandchildren.

I like to think we’re living proof that love and romance can happen anywhere at any time.

Rula: Sounds like a Superromance! Prior to signing a contract with Harlequin Superromance, you received awards for The Timestone Key (Lyrical Press) and His Hotness (Wild Rose Press). Needless to say, your readers love you! With two Superromances now on the shelves, what’s in store for the future?

Pamela: Superromance No. 3 is scheduled to be in my editor’s hands by May 15! Tara O’Malley is introduced as a secondary character in The Summer Place where she’s the assistant girls’ counselor at Camp Sunny Daze. No. 3 is Tara’s story and takes the young woman from tiny Taylor’s Grove, Ky., to Paris on a quest that brings her heartache and betrayal, but more important, romance and love. And, yes, my favorite recurring theme of acceptance and being loved for who we are plays a major role in the story.

In addition, I’ve received feedback on several more Superromance plot proposals, so my agent and I hope to announce some Super good news very soon!

Rula: Awesome! I loved Tara in The Summer Place, and I can’t wait to read her story. Thanks so much for joining us today. Congratulations again on your RITA final and best of luck with your upcoming Supers.

Rula Sinara lives in Virginia’s countryside where she can indulge her love of nature — bugs and reptiles included. She’s a writer, mother of boys and zany Labradoodles and, therefore, caffeine connoisseur. She loves dark chocolate, but she’d trade it out for “me” time with a romantic movie, book or a garden center shopping spree. Her interviews can also be found at her blog A Writer’s Rush.